The Hawaii State Senate is the upper chamber of the Hawaii State Legislature. The senate consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands. The senate is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membership of the body, currently Donna Mercado Kim. The forerunner of the Hawaii State Senate during the government of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi was the House of Nobles originated in 1840. In 1894 the Constitution of the Republic of Hawaii renamed the upper house the present senate. Senators are elected to four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Like most state legislatures in the United States, the Hawaii State Senate is a part-time body and senators often have active careers outside of government. The lower chamber of the legislature is the Hawaii House of Representatives. The membership of the Senate also elects additional officers to include the Senate Vice President, Senate Chief Clerk, Assistant Chief Clerk, Senate Sergeant at Arms and Assistant Sergeant at Arms.

Contents

The Democratic Party holds the largest majority of any state legislative chamber in the Hawaii Senate, with 24 of 25 seats. The Hawaii Senate is also the only state legislative chamber in the United States where the minority party holds only a single seat.[2][3]